Southwest B737 on Jul 7th 2017, unreliable airspeed and altitude. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N929WN performing flight WN-3641 from Las Vegas,NV to Cleveland,OH (USA), was enroute at FL290 about 100nm east of Las Vegas when the crew decided to return to Las Vegas, the aircraft descended to 12,000 feet. On the way back the aircraft performed several full circles while the crew talked to dispatch and maintenance. The aircraft landed safely back on Las Vegas’ runway 07L about 65 minutes after departure.

A listener on frequency reported the crew reported they had no reliable airspeed and altitude indications. The crew talked to dispatch and maintenance to troubleshoot the problem.

A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N420WN reached Cleveland with a delay of 5 hours.

The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 12 hours after landing.

http://avherald.com/

Super Puma Offshore Ban to be Lifted. The U.K. and Norway say they’ll soon lift a 17-month ban on the use of two models of Airbus Super Puma helicopters to service offshore oil operations. The H225LP and AS332L2 helicopters were taken off that kind of duty after a crash in April of 2016 in which the rotor blades separated from a Super Puma heading to a rig off Norway. 

The crash killed 13 workers and crew on the helicopter. Even though the government bans will be lifted, there might not be much work for the helicopters. Norway’s biggest oil company, Statoil, says it won’t use them anymore, and a survey of rig workers suggests most workers are opposed to the ban’s being lifted and more than half say they’ll never get on a Super Puma again. CHC, the world’s largest helicopter company, has stopped using them.

The helicopters were actually cleared for flight by the European Aviation Safety Agency last October but the U.K. and Norway instituted their own ban on offshore flights. The ban is to be lifted after Airbus introduced new maintenance and inspection protocols for the big helicopters. “The safety of those who travel on offshore helicopter flights is a key priority for both the U.K. and Norwegian aviation authorities,” said John McColl, head of the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Agency. “We would not have made this decision unless we were convinced that the changes to the helicopters and their maintenance restore the required airworthiness standards.”

AVweb

Airbus launches new fixed and deployable flight recorders. Airbus announced that it is to implement new fixed and deployable flight recorders on its passenger aircraft in collaboration with L3 Technologies.

The new devices will come in two versions: a fixed crash-protected Cockpit Voice and Data Recorder (CVDR), capable of recording up to 25 hours of voice and flight data on a single recorder; and an Automatic Deployable Flight Recorder (ADFR).

This new CVDR will be lighter, more compact, and will provide new capabilities compared with current generation of recorders, including versatile interfaces. The new CVDR answers the EASA and ICAO requirement to extend the duration of voice recording to 25 hours. The current requirement calls for a duration of two hours of voice recording. Two of these new CVDRs would be fitted on the shorter-range A320 airliners. This will greatly increase the redundancy for both voice and flight data recovery.

The other version of the new recording system – the ADFR – is aimed at longer range aircraft, with extended flight time over water or remote areas, such as the Airbus A321LR, A330, A350 XWB and A380. The ADFR will add a new capability to commercial airliners: the ability to be deployed automatically in case of significant structural deformation or water submersion. Designed to float, the crash-protected memory module containing up to 25 hours of recorded cockpit voice and flight data will be equipped with an integrated Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) to help rescue teams to rapidly locate and recover flight recorders.

The deployable ADFR will be installed in the rear of the fuselage, while a fixed CVDR will be installed near the front of the aircraft – thus greatly increasing the redundancy for both voice and flight data recovery, compared with today’s systems. The ADFR unit together with its mechanical ejection system will be designed and manufactured by Leonardo DRS and integrated by L3 in partnership with Airbus cross-programme Engineering.

The new recording systems will be available in 2019 initially on the A350 XWB, with subsequent deployment on all other Airbus aircraft types.

https://news.aviation-safety.net/

Runway Excursion Bucharest Otopeni Airport. A THY Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration TC-JMH performing flight TK-1045 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Bucharest Otopeni (Romania) with 176 people on board, landed on Otopeni’s runway 26R at 20:58L (17:58Z) but overran the displaced end of the runway by about 50 meters before coming to a stop. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor if any damage, one temporary runway end/threshold light was destroyed.

The runway was closed for about 4 hours. The last section of runway 26R is currently closed for reconstruction works starting Jun 22nd 2017, see AIP SUP 3/2017 below.

There is no direct reference of a shortened runway in the NOTAMs or regular AIRAC cycle, which continue to show the runway length at 3500 meters. The NOTAM only contain a “Trigger NOTAM” to reference AIP SUP 3/2017 indicating work in progress. There is no indication of such work in progress prior to Jun 22nd 2017, no other AIP SUP supplement has been released for Otopeni Airport. However, the Satellite Image of May 18th 2017 already shows the displaced threshold fully painted and the first section of runway 08L/last section of runway 26R crossed out.

 http://avherald.com/

China Eastern A332, June 18th 2017, severe turbulence causes loss of 4000 feet and injures 26. A China Eastern Airbus A330-200, registration B-5926 performing flight MU-774 (Jun 17th) from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Kunming (China), was enroute at FL390 about 260nm northeast of Tyumen (Russia) the aircraft encountered severe turbulence including two large jolts causing the aircraft to experience multiple rapid descends and climbs (in excess of 5000 fpm) reaching a minimum of FL349 as well as injuries to 26 people on board. The aircraft continued to Kunming for a safe landing about 5:45 hours later. Four passengers were taken to hospital with serious injuries (fractures and head injuries), 22 passengers with minor injuries.

Passengers reported that many passengers were not buckled in about 6 hours prior to landing in Kunming when turbulence lasting for about 10 minutes set in and resulted in two very large jolts having everyone not being buckled in hitting the cabin ceiling and being thrown back onto the seats. Between the large jolts there were a number of other lesser jolts. 

The airport reported 4 passengers received serious injuries including fractures and head injuries, 22 received minor injuries (mainly bruises), 2 more passengers were examined.

The airline reported without identifying when and where the turbulence took place, that the fasten seat belt signs were illuminated however not everyone complied with the instruction. A number of passengers needed to be taken to hospitals.

Radar data show the aircraft was enroute at FL390 about 260nm northeast of Tyumen at 19:05Z at 470 knots over ground, a minute later the aircraft the aircraft descends through FL376 at 490 knots over ground, slows to 364 knots over ground climbing through FL385 at 4000+ fpm, another minute later at 09:08Z is at FL349 at 475 knots over ground, climbs through FL360 at 5000+fpm a minute later, then stabilizes and climbs back to FL390 at about 480-490 knots over ground and climb rates less than 1000 fpm levelling off at FL390 again about 9 minutes after the aircraft departed FL390.
http://avherald.com/

Two Trent engine shut downs in flight yesterday

Norwegian B788 over Atlantic on Jun 11th, 2017, engine shut down in flight

A Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 787-800, registration LN-LNH performing flight DY-7019 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to New York JFK, NY (USA) with 294 people on board, was enroute at FL380 about 400nm west of Shannon (Ireland) when the crew decided to shut the #1 engine (Trent 1000, left) down and declared PAN due to low engine oil quantity. The aircraft turned around, drifted down to FL140, dumped fuel and diverted to Shannon for a safe landing on runway 24 about 70 minutes later.

The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Shannon as a precaution due to a technical issue. The aircraft is currently being examined.

China Eastern A332 at Sydney on Jun 11th, 2017, engine shut down in flight

A China Eastern Airbus A330-200, registration B-6099 performing flight MU-736 from Sydney, NS (Australia) to Shanghai Pudong (China), was in the initial climb out of Sydney’s runway 34L when the crew reported a left hand engine (Trent 772) fault and requested to maintain runway heading. The aircraft levelled off at 5000 feet, the crew shut the engine down. The crew subsequently reported it appeared the left-hand engine’s cowling was damaged and requested a runway inspection, the engine suffered the damage about one second after takeoff rotation. ATC informed the crew that a runway inspection did not find any debris on the runway. The aircraft returned to Sydney for a safe landing on runway 34L about 40 minutes after departure. A large hole was visible at the inboard side of the left-hand engine’s intake.

A seemingly similar incident also involving a Trent 772 engine happened about 4 weeks ago, when an Egypt A332 at Cairo on May 15th 2017, rejected takeoff due to engine failure.

http://avherald.com

‘Pilot error’ blamed for wrong South Dakota airport landing. The flight landed about six miles prematurely. Federal investigators are blaming pilot error for causing a Delta Air Lines flight carrying 129 people to land at the wrong airport in South Dakota.

The flight from Minneapolis landed at the Ellsworth Air Force Base, about six miles (10km) from Rapid City. The US National Transportation Safety Board blamed Delta’s two pilots for not using all the instruments at their disposal to determine their location.

The plane was held for more than two hours before it could take off again. The incident happened last July but the NTSB report into it was released on Tuesday. According to officials, the two airports have runways that face the same direction – from northwest to southeast – which likely contributed to the error.

The two Delta pilots had been suspended pending the inquiry. Delta “offered a gesture of apology for the inconvenience” to the passengers involved. A similar incident occurred in 2004 when another passenger plane landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

http://www.bbc.com/news/

JetBlue A321 – Inflight Lithium Battery Fire. Flight 915 diverted to Grand Rapids’ Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Michigan, USA after the lithium battery from a passenger’s laptop caught fire. 

The aircraft, an Airbus A321, had departed New York-JFK International Airport at 18:25 EDT (22:25 UTC) May 30th on a service to San Francisco, California. While en route over Michigan at FL340 “smoke began emitting from a carry-on bag holding an electronic device,” according to JetBlue. 

The flight crew diverted to Grand Rapids as a precaution. A safe landing was made at 20:13 EDT (00:13 UTC). The flight was continued after a two-hour stopover at Grand Rapids. 

https://aviation-safety.net/

Indonesian Plane Overshoots Wet Runway. JAKARTA: A Indonesian passenger plane carrying 146 people skidded off the runway as it landed in the eastern Papua region Wednesday, an official said, the latest mishap to hit the country’s aviation sector. No one was hurt after the Boeing aircraft operated by domestic carrier Sriwijaya Air overshot the wet runway at the airport in Manokwari city, said transport ministry spokesperson J Adravida Barata.

http://www.ndtv.com/

Challenger 604 – Uncontrolled Roll in A380 Wake Turbulence.       A Challenger 604 at FL340 operating from Male-Abu Dhabi passed an A380 opposite direction at FL350, one thousand feet above, about 630nm southeast of Muscat, Oman, over the Arabian Sea.

A short time later (1-2 minutes) the aircraft encountered wake turbulence sending the aircraft into an uncontrolled roll, turning the aircraft around at least 3 times (possibly even 5 times), both engines flamed out, the aircraft lost about 10,000 feet until the crew could recover the aircraft, restart the engines and divert to Muscat. The aircraft received damage beyond repair due to the G-forces, and was written off.

An official report is to be published by the German BFU and the current synopsis is copied here:

An Emirates Airbus A380-800, most likely registration A6-EUL performing flight EK-412 from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Sydney,NS (Australia), was enroute at FL350 about 630nm southeast of Muscat (Oman) and about 820nm northwest of Male (Maldives) at about 08:40Z when a business jet passed underneath in opposite direction. The A380 continued the flight to Sydney without any apparent incident and landed safely.

The business jet, a MHS Aviation (Munich) Canadair Challenger 604 registration D-AMSC performing flight MHV-604 from Male (Maldives) to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) with 9 people on board, was enroute over the Arabian Sea when an Airbus A380-800 was observed by the crew passing 1000 feet above. After passing underneath the A380 at about 08:40Z the crew lost control of the aircraft as result of wake turbulence from the A380 and was able to regain control of the aircraft only after losing about 10,000 feet. The airframe experienced very high G-Loads during the upset, a number of occupants received injuries during the upset. After the crew managed to stabilize the aircraft the crew decided to divert to Muscat (Oman), entered Omani Airspace at 14:10L (10:10Z) declaring emergency and reporting injuries on board and continued for a landing in Muscat at 15:14L (11:14Z) without further incident. A number of occupants were taken to a hospital, one occupant was reported with serious injuries. The aircraft received damage beyond repair and was written off.

Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority had told Omani media on Jan 8th 2017, that a private German registered aircraft had performed an emergency landing in Muscat on Jan 7th 2017 declaring emergency at 14:10L (10:10Z) and landing in Muscat at 15:14L (11:14Z). The crew had declared emergency due to injuries on board and problems with an engine (a number of media subsequently reported the right hand engine had failed, another number of media reported the left hand engine had failed).

According to information received on March 4th 2017 the CL-604 passed 1000 feet below an Airbus A380-800 while en-route over the Arabian Sea, when a short time later (1-2 minutes) the aircraft encountered wake turbulence sending the aircraft in uncontrolled roll turning the aircraft around at least 3 times (possibly even 5 times), both engines flamed out, the Ram Air Turbine could not deploy possibly as result of G-forces and structural stress, the aircraft lost about 10,000 feet until the crew was able to recover the aircraft exercising raw muscle force, restart the engines and divert to Muscat.

These details are currently unsubstantiated, no radar data are available for the business jet, it is therefore unclear when the business jet departed from Male and where the actual “rendezvouz” with the A380 took place. Based on the known time of the occurrence at 08:40Z as well as the time when the CL-604 reached Omani Airspace declaring emergency and landed in Muscat, as well as which A380s were enroute over the Arabian Sea around that time The Aviation Herald believes the most likely A380 was EK-412 and the “rendezvouz” took place 630nm southeast of Muscat, which provides the best match of remaining flying time (2.5 hours) and distance for the CL-604 also considering rather strong northwesterly winds (headwind for the CL-604, tailwind for the A380s).

On Jan 7th 2017 there were also other A380-800s crossing the Arabian Sea from northwest to southeast: a Qantas A380-800, registration VH-OQJ performing flight QF-2 from Dubai to Sydney, was enroute at FL330 about 1000nm southeast of Muscat and about 400nm northwest of Male at 08:40Z. An Emirates A380-800 registration A6-EDO performing flight EK-406 from Dubai to Melbourne,VI (Australia) was enroute at FL350 about 470nm southeast of Muscat at 08:40Z. Another Emirates A380-800 registration A6-EUH performing flight EK-424 from Dubai to Perth,WA (Australia), was enroute at FL350 about 350nm southeast of Muscat at 08:40z.

It is understood that Air Traffic Control all around the globe have recently been instructed to exercise particular care with A380s crossing above other aircraft.

Germany’s BFU confirmed that they are leading the investigation. The occurrence happened already on Jan 7th 2017 at 08:40Z. A preliminary report is estimated to be included in the January 2017 bulletin (which according to “tradition” should be released by mid of March 2017, however, the release of the Jan bulletin can currently not be estimated because so far only the August 2016 bulletin has been released by the BFU, the remaining 2016 bulletins are still being worked on).

The Aviation Herald